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BROOKLYN, MICH.—Jeff Gordon broke the Michigan International Speedway qualifying record Friday, winning the pole for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race Sunday with a speed of 206.558 m.p.h.

Speeds at MIS have been climbing ever since the two-mile oval was repaved before the 2012 season. Kevin Harvick set the qualifying record in June at 204.557, but drivers breezed past that mark Friday, and Gordon emerged with his second straight pole. He qualified first last weekend at Watkins Glen but finished 34th, giving up the series points lead to Dale Earnhardt Jr.

It’s the 76th pole of Gordon’s career and the seventh-fastest pole-winning speed in the history of NASCAR’s top series.

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